Tane Picken was appointed general manager of Shangri-La’s Rasa Sentosa Resort & Spa, Singapore on 11 May 2017. He brings over 16 years of hotel experience across Africa, the Middle East and Asia to his new role at the helm of the only beachfront resort in Singapore, with 454 rooms set amidst idyllic surroundings on Sentosa island.
Hai Poh brings a wealth of international hospitality experience spanning more than 28 years in 10 cities. Having a proven track record of business, operational and reputational risk management expertise, he will provide leadership and strategic planning to all departments in the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel in support of the Millennium Hotels and Resorts Group service culture as well as maximising revenue and guest satisfaction. Hai Poh also holds various appointments in several associations such as Board Director of the Singapore Workforce Development Agency, President of the Food and Beverage Managers’ Association and many more.
HTNG announces agenda and highlights topics to be covered at the 2017 Asia-Pacific Conference on 25-27 July in Singapore. HTNG conferences offer programs to keep attendees up-to-date on relevant technology issues inside the hospitality industry. This conference will provide knowledge, collaboration, networking, and business development opportunities with a wide range of industry professionals.
We are pleased to announce the promotion of Mr Lee Richards as the Vice President of Operations, Singapore. This appointment will take effect from 1 June 2017. Mr Lee joined the Millennium Hotels and Resorts Group in 2009; and had served in the position of Cluster General Manager for Copthorne London Gatwick Hotel, Copthorne Effingham Park Hotel and Copthorne Slough-Windsor Hotel. In March 2017, he was appointed as Cluster General Manager managing Grand Copthorne Waterfront, Orchard Hotel Singapore, M Hotel Singapore, Studio M Hotel, M Social Singapore as well as Copthorne Kings Hotel. With the overall responsibility of delivering maximum business growth and profitability, Mr Lee aims to structure a series of innovative business initiatives to surpass record profits and increase the share-of-market for the Millennium Hotels and Resorts Group. The focus is to also steer the Group to becoming the industry leader by introducing and integrating ingenious strategies, streamlining resources to maximize performance and elevate quality standards. Mr Lee’s vision is to transform the Group into a comfortable yet competitive organisation where a significant dominant edge is enjoyed in every country it operates.
Effective from May, 2017 Serena will be based in IHG’s Asia, Middle East, and Africa office in Singapore, where she will be overseeing the expansion of the group’s footprint in South East Asia and Korea by identifying and orchestrating strategic growth opportunities. Serena brings more than 20 years’ experience in hotel development, strategic planning, and feasibility. Prior to joining IHG, she was Regional Vice-President at Marriott International, where she was responsible for the group’s development efforts in South East Asia.Prior to joining Marriott, Serena spent close to two decades building her career in hospitality at Starwood. In her most recent role there as Vice-President in Development and Strategic Planning, she led the group’s expansion across ten brands in seven markets across South East Asia, while overseeing feasibility and strategic planning efforts in Asia Pacific. Before embarking on her career in hospitality, Serena graduated on the Dean’s List with a Bachelor of Science (Distinction) in Hotel Administration and Major in Finance at Cornell University, School of Hotel Administration. IHG currently operates 68 hotels in South East Asia across five brands including InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, and Hotel Indigo, with a further 58 hotels in the development pipeline due to open within the next three to five years. In Korea, there are nine IHG hotels across three brands – InterContinental, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, and two more in the development pipeline.
Swiss native Olivier Lenoir has been appointed as general manager of the new Andaz Singapore, which is set to launch in September 2017. In his new role, Lenoir will lead the opening of the property and manage all aspects of the pre-opening stages of development. An experienced hotelier and Hyatt veteran, Lenoir began his career with Hyatt Hotels Corporation 17 years ago. He most recently served as the hotel manager at Grand Hyatt Singapore, having begun his career with postings at Grand Hyatt Jakarta, Grand Hyatt Shenzhen and Grand Hyatt Taipei.
The Tower Wing at Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore, will be unveiled on 16 May following an 8-month rejuvenation process. Comprising a refreshed lobby, 503 newly designed guestrooms, three restaurant concepts, and a revitalised club lounge, the wing combines Shangri-La"s typical luxury with elements of an urban resort.
STR's preliminary April 2017 data for Singapore indicates lower occupancy levels and room rates. Based on daily data from April, Singapore reported the following in year-over-year comparisons:
Celebrating its 10th anniversary as 'Asia's Leading Travel Trade Show', ITB Asia 2017 is celebrating its milestone year with a flying start as the trade show sees a surge in exhibitor demand from industry heavyweights as well as the travel technology sector.
To better understand consumer behaviors and preferences, it is useful to analyze the decisions travelers make in relation to a single travel experience. We asked Southeast Asian travelers to reflect on each stage of planning and travel for their last leisure trip, including motivation, destination selection, shopping and booking methods, channel and device selection, and social networking – providing timely insight into the current state of online consumer travel in Southeast Asia.
Outrigger Resorts has appointed Anjela Wong as Account Director - Singapore/Southeast Asia. Anjela's main task is to drive MICE business for the Outrigger Laguna Phuket Beach Resort. Based in Singapore, Anjela will also represent the Outrigger brand at large, including attendance at trade shows. Before joining Outrigger, Anjela a Singaporean national, held key roles in leading corporations and hospitality groups in Singapore. Anjela worked as Director of Global Accounts for HelmsBriscoe 2013-2017 where her main responsibility was event venue sourcing and management. She also worked at Warwick International Hotels as Global Account Sales Director Asia Pacific, and in account management, sales and business development roles for firms such as IDeaS, eRevMax/RateTiger, Hotel Re!, and Far East Hospitality.
When one wrong move drags a company's reputation through the mud, it can either act quickly to repair its image and renew itself, or succumb to more brand-bashing and other damaging consequences. How well organisations navigate in the age of the empowered – and often impatient - consumer, will determine how successful it is.
The much-anticipated Park Hotel Farrer Park, developed by RB Capital Group, will be opening in May 2017, further enriching the neighbourhood of Farrer Park.
A new 37 room boutique hotel has taken up residence in a former warehouse which overlooks the Singapore River. This heritage site of three dockside warehouses has been beautifully restored and conserved to hark back to Singapore's roots as a major trading port. The three former storage facilities have been connected to create a fluid and bright interior space that retains the character of the old building while sensitively combining and inserting new elements into it.
Formerly the Regional Vice President of Sales and Marketing Asia Pacific, Christina’s contributions and aptitude have been invaluable to the organisation ever since she joined Worldhotels in 2005 as Senior Director of Sales, Asia Pacific. She was instrumental in growing the Asia Pacific sales team from the initial five sales offices (Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo) to the current eight (with the addition of Beijing, India and Melbourne). On top of her sales-related responsibilities, Christina has also played an integral role in championing all marketing and communications effort over the years. Well-respected and highly valued in her field, Christina is also an avid believer of nurturing her team from the get-go, providing opportunities and being an inspiration to her team.
Park Hotel Group has appointed Kanchan Kanwar as Grand Park Orchard general manger to oversee the daily operations and business performance of the group’s flagship property. Kanwar has 30 years of hospitality experience under her belt, having served in various leadership positions with international hotel groups in Singapore, Malaysia, India and China.
Anasri brings his high-level motivation and keen business insights to the table at Park Hotel Farrer Park, carefully piecing together an enterprising sales strategy that will put the forthcoming hotel at the top of industry players’ lists. Possessing over 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Anasri has held directorial positions in the areas of sales and marketing and will drive the expansion of Park Hotel Farrer Park’s clientele and opportunities for it to grow into new networks. In his spare time, Anasri is a passionate photographer who loves travelling the world with a penchant for travel photography – a perfect coalescence of his passions.
Sharmini is a seasoned professional with more than two decades of hospitality experience, having worked with a leading international hotel chain for 20 years. Throughout the span of her career, she has held a diverse range of supervisory roles in Housekeeping, Front Office and Rooms Operations at other established hotels. In her current role as General Manager of Park Hotel Farrer Park, Sharmini will oversee the daily operations and lead the team into launching the hotel and maximise guest satisfaction. From a young age when Sharmini went on vacation trips with her family, the hotels they stayed in would provide such exemplary service, with exceptionally kind and welcoming staff that left a deep impression on her. It was these delightful experiences that inspired Sharmini to join the hotel industry – a field which gives her the opportunity to bring a smile to people’s faces by providing impeccable service and genuine hospitality. Sharmini firmly believes that it takes teamwork to build success, and it is working with colleagues who inspire her to give her best that make it such a joy to come to work every day.
Park Hotel Farrer Park has announced 11 key appointments to oversee its opening and operations ahead of its launch in mid-May this year. It is the fifth Singapore hotel of Park Hotel Group's rapidly expanding portfolio in Asia-Pacific.
After 10 great years and 20 Asia Connect Conferences across Asia, the revitalised Asia Connect will see a few firsts in 2017. Well-known for bringing together global hospitality and tourism leaders to connect with new customers, future partners, trending issues and winning solutions, this year's event will be held at Marina Mandarin Singapore from May 25-26, 2017.